Sept. 11, 2018 -- A total of 42 countries have endorsed a UN peacekeeping declaration as part of the UN chief's effort to renew political support for the world body's peacekeeping operations, A UN spokesperson said Monday.

"Forty-two countries, including major troop and police contributors to UN Peacekeeping and Security Council members, have now endorsed the Declaration of Shared Commitments on UN Peacekeeping," said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson.

He thanked all the member states that have endorsed the document, identifying each of them by name.

He noted that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls on all member states to join in endorsing the declaration before Sept. 14, ahead of the high-level event on action for peacekeeping on Sept. 25.

The event will showcase the past and current role of UN peacekeeping, reflect on the challenges, and help to revitalize global engagement for this unique multilateral tool.

On Aug. 16, the secretary-general sent the document for endorsement to the member states and relevant international and regional organizations. Pakistan was the first country to endorse it, on the day after its issuance.

The document is part of Guterres' Action for Peacekeeping initiative launched on March 28 aiming to renew political support for UN peacekeeping operations.

It spells out specific commitments that are vital to the operations' success, for example to enhance their political impact and strengthen the protection they provide.

It is based on three months of consultations with all member states and relevant international and regional organizations and contains commitments by all the main stakeholders of peacekeeping, including Security Council members, troop, police and financial contributors to peacekeeping, host governments and regional and sub-regional organizations.